Local Businesses and Online Reviews

Why are online reviews important to local business ?

There are a couple of main reasons.

1. Online reviews are still a ranking factor in the Google local search results. Even though it is believed that reviews are no longer the main ranking factor they still can’t be neglected. Reviews left on google are shown in the search results as google reviews under the business listing. Reviews left on other sites around the web are often linked to from the listing it’s self (see image).

2. Reputation is the next reason and possibly the main and most important one.
After your business has been found on the web the next thing your prospect will generally do is check you out. The prospect wants to know about you before they make the decision to contact you.

They will Google your business name or the business owners name to find out what is being said, they will want to know who your customers are and what they are saying about you. They also want to find out specifics about you or your business like industry recognition and applicable licensing details. All these things help the prospect build some kind of recognition of the business so they can make the decision to call you.